This vegetarian savory rice & cheese cake recipe is a great option for Meatless Monday. It's loaded with spinach, roasted red peppers and gooey mozzarella cheese.
I've discovered that winter running pants are not terribly forgiving. It appears that mixing spandex with holiday eating is a very misled notion. It's kind of like drinking while dating. It sounds like a good idea at the time, but it never ends well. That's one of the benefits of running at 5:30 in the morning. It's so dark that no one can witness my spandex offenses.
After a holiday weekend of some serious eating, I'm feeling the need to consume nothing but salads and light soups for the rest of my life. Well, at least for the next week. Let's not get crazy here. And it's mandatory that I review my tried and true Healthy Eating Tips & Tricks for the Holidays to keep my jeans happy.
This vegetarian entree is high in fiber (filling!) from brown rice and rich in flavor from roasted red peppers, balsamic vinegar and spinach. Diced pieces of fresh mozzarella produce pockets of gooey, melted goodness. The beauty of this dish is that you can make the brown rice ahead of time, then mix it with the other ingredients before pouring the mixture into a springform pan.
The recipe:
In a medium saucepan, combine brown rice, water and ½ teaspoon kosher salt. Cook according to package directions. Fluff with a fork.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Prepare an 8-inch springform pan by coating it with cooking spray and sprinkling the cornmeal on the bottom and along the sides.
Rinse the spinach leaves under water and put the wet leaves in a large saucepan set over medium heat. Cover and let the spinach leaves wilt, about 2 minutes. Drain, but don't squeeze out the extra water.
In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs. Add the wilted spinach, nutmeg, salt and pepper, and stir to combine.
Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan set over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are translucent and tender. Add the garlic and cook for an additional minute.
Add the rice to the onions. Stir in the roasted red peppers, mozzarella, Parmesan cheese and parsley, along with the spinach and egg mixture.
Transfer the rice mixture to the prepared pan and level the top with a spatula.
Bake until the "cake" is set and golden brown on top, 35 to 40 minutes. Let it sit in the pan for 10 minutes.
Invert the pan onto a large plate and carefully remove springform pan ring and bottom. Cut into wedges and serve.
Other entrees for Meatless Monday:
Cookin' Canuck's Southwestern Breakfast Quesadilla with Eggs, Black Beans & Salsa
Cookin' Canuck's Quinoa Salad with Apple, Chickpeas, Toasted Almonds & Apple Cider Vinaigrette
Cookin' Canuck's Healthy Mushroom, Orzo & Swiss Chard Soup
Aggie's Kitchen's Two-Bean Vegetarian Mexican Lasagna
Kalyn's Kitchen's Vegan Farro & Roasted Sweet Potato Salad with Tahini-Sumac Vinaigrette
Printable Recipe
Savory Rice Cheese Cake Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons cornmeal
- 1 ½ cups brown rice
- 3 cups water
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 cups fresh spinach stems removed
- 3 eggs
- 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
- ½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 roasted red peppers 4 halves, chopped
- 6 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese drained and chopped
- ¼ cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
- ¼ cup minced Italian parsley
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, combine brown rice, water and ½ teaspoon kosher salt. Cook according to package directions. Fluff with a fork.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Prepare an 8-inch springform pan by coating it with cooking spray and sprinkling the cornmeal on the bottom and along the sides.
- Rinse the spinach leaves under water and put the wet leaves in a large saucepan set over medium heat. Cover and let the spinach leaves wilt, about 2 minutes. Drain, but don't squeeze out the extra water.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs. Add the wilted spinach, nutmeg, salt and pepper, and stir to combine.
- Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan set over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are translucent and tender. Add the garlic and cook for an additional minute.
- Add the rice to the onions. Stir in the roasted red peppers, mozzarella, Parmesan cheese and parsley, along with the spinach and egg mixture.
- Transfer the rice mixture to the prepared pan and level the top with a spatula.
- Bake until the "cake" is set and golden brown on top, 35 to 40 minutes. Let it sit in the pan for 10 minutes. Invert the pan onto a large plate and carefully remove springform pan ring and bottom.
- Cut into wedges and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
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Helen
Excuse me for being dense, but what happened to the eggs. I've re-read the recipe in case I missed the part where they get added somewhere. ..
Help!
Dara (Cookin' Canuck)
Helen, you're not dense at all! Thanks for catching that omission. The egg/spinach mixture should be added to the rice at the same time as the roasted red peppers, etc. The recipe has been updated. Please note that I also updated the amount of salt required for the recipe. I hope you enjoy it!
Lola
This looks incredibly tasty, my stomach is rumbling just by looking at the pictures! x
Diane
When do you add the egg and spinach?
Holly
Your food looks beautiful as always but I am left with a smile thinking of how true your statement is about spandex and holiday eating-- they don't mix! Maybe I should take the advice to exercise at daybreak. : )
Katrina @ In Katrina's Kitchen
oooh this looks like a good dinner! And lunch the next day 🙂
carrian
ooey and gooey are two of my favorite words. MMMM
Cassie | Bake Your Day
I am so ready for a meal like this after all of the eating that happened this weekend. It's so unique and right up my alley!
Barbara | Creative Culinary
I don't suppose it's a good thing I hang out in men's PG pants is it. Baggy and forgiving they are for sure.
I love this combination; I've got some mozzarella whose time has come and this would be a great way to go!
Anna @ Crunchy Creamy Sweet
This dish sounds fabulous! All the flavors - yum!
Elizabeth@ Food Ramblings
That looks absolutely delicious!
Alison @ Ingredients, Inc.
This looks wonderful Dara! Very creative!
Dara
This looks like the perfect mix of healthy and comfort food! Oh, and I totally know what you mean about the spandex running pants...I took a look at myself post run yesterday...I too am glad I run at 6am!
Courtney Rae Jones
Yum! Awesome vegetarian main dish 🙂
Laura (Tutti Dolci)
I love a healthy and delicious vegetarian meal, and I can never say no to anything with roasted red peppers!
Barbara @ Barbara Bakes
What a great way to eat healthy!
Sommer@ASpicyPerspective
Oh Dara, That is just lovely. What a wonderful addition to a holiday meal!
kelley
Love the savory play on cake. This looks like light comfort food at it's finest. I love all the healthy recipes you've been throwing our way. Makes up for the fact that I've been eating so many treats as of late!
Bev @ Bev Cooks
This is genius. But you forgot one ingredient - Bev's Face.
(that made no sense, sorry)
Rachel (Two Healthy Plates)
Such a fun recipe!! This looks delicious =) I bet it would be great in the summer with tomato and fresh basil!
Robyn | Add a Pinch
This looks gorgeous, Dara, and oh so delicious!